10 Ways to Improve Your Band Score in the IELTS Speaking Test

#ielts #ieltsexam #ieltstips #ieltsspeaking

The IELTS speaking test lasts between 11 and 14 minutes, so you don't have long to prove your grammar and vocabulary knowledge or impress the examiner with your conversation skills. The most important thing is to make sure you communicate your ideas and opinions clearly throughout the speaking test, so here are the top ten things you can do to increase your band score. 

1. Understand what the examiner is looking for

In order to improve your band score you need to know what to expect in the IELTS speaking test. If it's your first time taking the test, it can help you feel more relaxed to familiarise yourself with the format and marking criteria. 

The IELTS speaking test consists of 3 parts. In part 1 the examiner will ask you some questions about familiar topics such as your habits, hobbies or interests. In part 2 you will have to speak for 2 minutes about a topic chosen by the examiner. The topic will be presented on a cue card with some bullet points to help you structure your speaking and you will have 1 minute to prepare. In part 3 the examiner will ask you some general questions associated with the topic you spoke about in part 2. This is an opportunity to speak more generally about important global/moral issues. 

Your speaking will be assessed throughout the test against the following criteria:

1. Fluency and coherence - Is what you're saying easy to follow? Are your sentences complete and do they provide enough detail to answer the question fully? Is the meaning clear?

2. Pronunciation - are you pronouncing words clearly so that they can be easily understood?

3. Lexical resource (vocabulary) - are you using advanced vocabulary appropriately?

4. Grammatical range and accuracy - are you using a variety of tenses and grammatical structures, such as modals, conditional clauses, adverbial clauses and subordinating conjunctions to give interesting, extended answers to exam questions?

2. Prepare ideas to answer questions on all of the IELTS topics 

Using commonly asked IELTS questions for each part of the exam will build your confidence and fluency. You will also have lots of ideas and examples to extend your answers. Having said that, you should not rehearse and memorise answers to any questions as it won't sound natural or conversational and the examiner will pick up on this straight away. You can find a list of commonly asked questions and download free topic card PDFs for the IELTS speaking test on my website.

3. Learn fixed expressions and synonyms to introduce ideas and opinions

 'I think' is probably one of the phrases most repeated by English learners, but there are so many other expressions that you could use instead. Taking some time to learn alternative phrases can make a big difference to the quality of your interactions. Here are some phrases to get you started: 

In my opinion...

From my perspective... 

Personally, I believe that...

For me...

If you ask me...

As far as I can tell...

I would say...

To my mind...

4. Listen to English as much as you can

You may be wondering why it's important to listen carefully if you want to improve your speaking skills, but listening is not only vital for developing good pronunciation habits, it will also help you notice how native speakers use intonation to add emphasis or alter meaning. The more you listen, the more natural you will sound when you are speaking.  

5. Take speaking classes with an IELTS teacher 

As much as it helps to practise speaking on your own or with a friend, a qualified teacher will hear mistakes straight away and quickly identify gaps in your knowledge, which will allow them to make recommendations to improve the quality of your communications and increase your IELTS band score. With the right teacher, just a few sessions can make an enormous difference. 

 

6. Speak clearly and at a natural speed

Speaking quickly is not the same as speaking fluently. Fluency refers to meaning being communicated clearly and efficiently. Most native speakers of English do not speak rapidly, it is more important to use intonation and word stress appropriately to convey your emotions and to change between tenses and grammatical structures without hesitation. Speaking very quickly in the IELTS test may adversely affect your band score, particularly if the examiner cannot hear you clearly enunciate verb endings, plural nouns or possessive forms. 

 

7. Use appropriate vocabulary and extend your answers

It might be tempting to get a band 8 vocabulary list and try to shoehorn as many as possible into your sentences, but this can backfire if you aren't using the words appropriately in context. Using formal or academic vocabulary in an informal conversation about friends, for example, may sound jarring and unnatural, and spending too much time searching for more advanced vocabulary can interrupt your fluency and stilt conversation. You should, however, try to extend your answers so that the examiner can hear you using a range of grammatical structures.

 

8. Record yourself speaking

Listening to yourself speaking about different topics is a great strategy to identify mistakes in grammar, but is particularly useful to practise for part 2 of the IELTS speaking test. 2 minutes can feel like a long time to speak about one topic and many students panic and repeat things when they run out of ideas. Listen to yourself speaking and think about whether all of the sentences you are using bring something new to discussion about the topic. 

 

9. Use your 1 minute wisely

If you are given a topic you don't have any opinions about or much experience with in part 2, don't panic! Use your 1 minute preparation time to be creative or put yourself in someone else's shoes. Think of a story based on a friend or family member's experience and pass it off as your own. The stories you tell don't have to be strictly true, you simply have to show that you can communicate a story or experience clearly and effectively. Use pen and paper to write key words to remember in case your mind goes blank or you lose your train of thought. 

 

10. Be patient

Achieving a band 6.5 or above doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to develop fluency and confidence to speak about all of the topics covered in the IELTS exam, but with the right tools and strategies, it is possible to make big improvements in a relatively short space of time.

IELTS Speaking Test: How to Greet the Examiner

 #ielts #IELTSspeaking # #ieltsprep #ieltstest

In this lesson I will tell you everything you need to know to greet the examiner in your IELTS speaking test. It is important to make a good first impression in your IELTS speaking test so remember to smile and follow instructions exactly, as this shows that you are a confident speaker and able to listen carefully. Always wait for the examiner to ask you a question before you speak. 

1. Take a seat

When you first enter the examination room you will be shown where to sit. If you are not invited to sit straight away, the most polite thing to do is to ask 'may I sit here?' before taking your seat. Do NOT say 'can I sit here?' Using can in this formal situation is likely to come across rude or disrespectful in English speaking culture. 

2. Say your full name

Once you are seated the examiner will introduce themselves. They might say 'Hello, my name is _________, what is your full name, please?' You should answer by saying 'My name's ___________.' Using the contracted form my name's instead of my name is shows the examiner that you can use a more natural pronunciation style. Be sure to say your name slowly and clearly as it can be difficult for some people to hear the correct pronunciation of foreign names. 

3. Tell the examiner what name you would like to use for the test

The examiner will then ask 'what should I call you?' You can answer this question in a couple of different ways. You could say 'please call me ______' or 'just call me _______.' If you have an English name that you like to use it is fine to tell the examiner 'you can call me by my English name, _______.'

4. Say where you are from

After this, the examiner will ask you where you are from. You should respond to this question with just one sentence, but adding a little extra detail shows better use of English. You could say, for example, 'I'm from Shanghai, which is a large city on the east coast of China.' Do NOT give any recommendations or ask the examiner any questions. 

5. Show your ID

The examiner will then ask to see your identification documents. When you pass your documents you do not need to say anything to the examiner, but it is polite to say something like 'I have my passport here' and the examiner will probably thank you for this. 

Finally, remember to smile and make eye contact. You want to present yourself as a confident speaker. Be friendly to set a good first impression. 

Have you done an IELTS speaking test before? Do you wish you did anything differently? Do you have any advice for other students? Write your answers in the comments! 

Most Common IELTS Speaking Part 1 Practice Questions

 #ielts #ieltsspeaking #ieltstips #ieltsprep #ieltspreparation 

Part 1 of the IELTS speaking test lasts for 3 or 4 minutes and the examiner will ask you 2 or 3 questions on 3 topics about your personal life from a list of 25 possible topics.   

These are the most common speaking topics for part 1 of the IELTS speaking test. They are topics which appear frequently in part 1 of the IELTS speaking test. You should prepare ideas and practise answering these questions using advanced vocabulary and a range of grammatical structures to maximise your results.

Home 

1. Where is your home?

2. Do you plan to live there in the future?

3. Do you live in a house or a flat?

4. Who do you live with?

5. What is your neighbourhood like?

6. What is your favourite room and how is it decorated?

7. Do most people live in houses or flats in your country?

8. What facilities are there near your home?

9. Are there many rooms in your home?

10. What would you change about your home?

 

Hometown 

1. Where is your hometown?

2. Do you like your hometown?

3. What is your hometown like?

4. Do you often visit your hometown?

5. What is the oldest place in your hometown?

6. What is there for a tourist to do in your hometown?

7.Has your hometown changed much since your were a child?

8. Is there good transportation in your hometown?

9. Is your hometown a good place to bring up children?

10. How could your hometown be improved?

Work 

1. What is your job?

2. Where do your work?

3. Why did you choose that job?

4. Do you get on well with your colleagues?

5. Is it a popular job in your country?

6. What responsibilites do you have at work?

7. Do you like your job?

8. Do you plan to continue this job in the future?

9. If you had the chance, would you change your job?

10. What was your first day like?

Study 

1. What do you study?

2. Where do your study?

3. Is that a populary subject in your country?

4. What are the main aspects of your subject?

5. Do you like this subject?

6. Do you plan to get a job in the same field as your subject?

7. If you had the chance, would you change your subject?

IELTS Grammar: 8 Collocations You Need to Know to Increase your Speaking Score

 #IELTS #IELTSspeaking #ieltsgoals #ieltsprep #ieltspreparation

In English some adjectives are followed by a particular preposition in sentences with the verb to be. Sometimes the preposition is different depending on whether you are referring to people or things. 

Unfortunately there aren't really any rules about using prepositions with adjectives (or any other type of words), you just have to learn them for your IELTS test. You can of course use an English dictionary to check the correct collocation, but today we will focus on some of the most common collocations, which are used to describe how we feel about something or someone. 

happy/sad/angry/annoyed/upset/passionate/mad about 

good/bad at

late/ready/famous for

different from 

interested in 

afraid/fond/frightened of

keen on

bored/capable of

As you will see, using adjective + preposition collocations can instantly make a very simple sentence into one that shows greater grammatical knowledge of the language, which will help increase your score in IELTS speaking and other exams, if they are used accurately. 

For example, the simple sentence I love dogs can be changed to I'm absolutely mad about dogs. Using an adverb is a good way to emphasise your opinion when you are speaking about your hobbies or interests. 

The following adjective + preposition collocations are most useful in part 1 of the IELTS speaking test, where the examiner will ask you to talk about yourself.

Activity 

Rewrite these sentences using the verb to be and the adjective in brackets with an appropriate preposition. 

1. I love swimming (mad)

2. I hate going to the gym (keen) 

3. I can write well in English (capable) 

4. I enjoy watching films and going to the cinema (fond) 

5. I love learning English (passionate)

6. I love football (fanatical) 

7. I don't mind cooking but I certainly like eating! (indifferent) 

8. I can't stand waiting in long queues at theme parks (bored)

9. I can't wait to move to England for my internship (ready)

10. I hate spiders! (afraid)

Write your answers in the comments!